meanderings to more life with less

coconut chia porridge with raspberries and walnuts

For me, a hearty bowl of porridge on a cool morning is like a nice warm hug. Lovely. As I’ve ranted about previously, my happiness and health has been transformed by moving to a higher fat, real food diet. Whilst the paleo community isn’t a huge fan of oats – I still enjoy them in moderation because when I turn over the packet and read the ingredients, it says: Oats.

Obviously this real food test doesn’t apply to those instant flavoured sachets. Check out the ingredient list on those edible food products and kiss five minutes of your life goodbye as you read them all and then try to decipher what they are.

There’s some debate about whether oats are gluten free or not. I find no issues having them in small amounts however, if you are a full-blown coeliac, then you might like to check out this handy guide by Coeliac Australia that explains all the scientific guff much better than moi!

Then there’s the question of: quick, rolled or steel-cut?When did oats become so complicated? They’re all still oats but essentially the oat groat is processed differently.

But enough about oats – As you’ll see, they’re used sparingly in my porridge because I also love CHIA! I use chia seeds in a lot of my recipes, nom, nom, nom. They’re packed with fibre, good fats and protein. If you want to know more about the many benefits of chia, the Huff Post did a snappy little summary: So THAT’S Why We Should Be Eating Chia Seeds.

Anyway, all this chatter about porridge is making me hungry, so let’s get cooking! As always, I hope you find this as moreish as I do.

Coconut Chia Pudding with Raspberries and Walnuts

3/4 milk (I use almond milk but you could use full-fat dairy or coconut)

1 TBS coconut oil

1/3 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted

6-12 walnut pieces, roughly chopped

Optional: 1-2 tsp of sweetener of your choice

Method:

Place chia seeds and oats in a small saucepan.

Add 1/4 cup boiling water and allow to soak for 5 minutes (you can skip this step if in a rush)

Add the milk and coconut oil.

Place the saucepan on low-medium heat and stir regularly, breaking up any clumps of chia that may have formed whilst soaking.

Continue to stir until the porridge reaches your preferred consistency.

Add to a bowl with raspberries and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Enjoy!

P.S. A few words on ingredients: My recipes are pretty flexible to your own preferences. For example, I love raspberries, but if they are too tart for your tastebuds, feel free to substitute for another berry, or heck, even another fruit! Likewise, walnuts can be easily swapped for your nut of choice. 🙂

And as for added sweeteners; The coconut oil and berries make this porridge a sweetie, but if you need a little more, you could add some rice malt syrup, organic maple syrup or even honey. The I Quit Sugar approach would frown on honey but in defence of my love of honey:

It’s real food.

I use it sparingly anyways.

Porridge with a little added honey still has a shit-load less sugar than so-called ‘healthy’ cereals.

I buy mine from a local producer = less food miles = reduced eco footprint.

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One thought on “coconut chia porridge with raspberries and walnuts”

I’m also a huge fan of oats, and trying to clean up my diet a bit. They’re such a great staple, you can’t go wrong.

With regards to coeliac diets, my sister is a full blow diagnosed coeliac and oats are her kryptonite. She will become bloated, nausea and be in severe pain after a bowl, so she avoids them. Pure oats should not contain gluten, but most brands, even if they just say ‘oats’ on the back, also contain a small amount of barley or rye.